Miniature & Bull Terrier Standard and Health
Bull Terrier KC Breed Standard
General Appearance
Strongly built, muscular, well balanced and active with a keen, determined and intelligent expression.
Characteristics
Courageous, full of spirit, with a fun loving attitude. A unique feature is a downfaced, egg-shaped head. Irrespective of size dogs should look masculine and bitches feminine.
Temperament
Of even temperament and amenable to discipline. Although obstinate is particularly good with people.
Head and Skull
Head long, strong and deep right to end of muzzle, but not coarse. Viewed from front egg-shaped and completely filled, its surface free from hollows or indentations. Top of skull almost flat from ear to ear. Profile curves gently downwards from top of skull to tip of nose which should be black and bent downwards at tip. Nostrils well developed and under-jaw deep and strong.
Eyes
Appearing narrow and triangular, obliquely placed, black or as dark brown as possible so as to appear almost black, and with a piercing glint. Distance from tip of nose to eyes perceptibly greater than that from eyes to top of skull. Blue or partly blue undesirable.
Ears
Small, thin and placed close together. Dog should be able to hold them stiffly erect, when they point straight upwards.
Mouth
Teeth sound, clean, strong, of good size, regular with perfect, regular and complete scissor bite, i.e. upper teeth closely overlapping lower teeth and set square to the jaws. Lips clean and tight.
Neck
Very muscular, long, arched, tapering from shoulders to head and free from loose skin.
Forequarters
Shoulders strong and muscular without loading. Shoulder blades wide, flat and held closely to chest wall and have a very pronounced backward slope of front edge from bottom to top, forming almost a right angle with upper arm. Elbows held straight and strong, pasterns upright. Forelegs have strongest type of round, quality bone, dog should stand solidly upon them and they should be perfectly parallel. In mature dogs length of foreleg should be approximately equal to depth of chest.
Body
Body well rounded with marked spring of rib and great depth from withers to brisket, so that latter nearer ground than belly. Back short, strong with backline behind withers level, arching or roaching slightly over broad, well muscled loins. Underline from brisket to belly forms a graceful upward curve. Chest broad when viewed from front.
Hindquarters
Hindlegs in parallel when viewed from behind. Thighs muscular and second thighs well developed. Stifle joint well bent and hock well angulated with bone to foot short and strong.
Feet
Round and compact with well arched toes.
Tail
Short, set on low and carried horizontally. Thick at root, it tapers to a fine point.
Gait/Movement
When moving appears well knit, smoothly covering ground with free, easy strides and with a typical jaunty air. When trotting, movement parallel, front and back, only converging towards centre line at faster speeds, forelegs reaching out well and hindlegs moving smoothly at hip, flexing well at stifle and hock, with great thrust.
Coat
Short, flat, even and harsh to touch with a fine gloss. Skin fitting dog tightly. A soft textured undercoat may be present in winter.
Colour
For White, pure white coat. Skin pigmentation and markings on head not to be penalised. For Coloured, colour predominates; all other things being equal, brindle preferred. Black, brindle, red, fawn and tricolour acceptable. Tick markings in white coat undesirable. Blue and liver highly undesirable.
Size
There are neither weight nor height limits, but there should be the impression of maximum substance for size of dog consistent with quality and sex.
Faults
Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog and on the dog’s ability to perform its traditional work.
Note
Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.
Health
Kidney Disease
Kidney disease is known as the silent killer, as sadly it is very rarely noticed until the kidneys have gone into complete failure. There are two different types of Kidney failure, one is known as PKD (Polycistic Kidney Disease), a test is carried out for this via Ultrasound and only has to be done once during the Dogs life. The other is HN (Hereditary Nephritus) which is done yearly and by means of a Urine test.
Heart Disease
There are two main conditions connected to the Mini Bull Terrier. MVD (Mitral Valve Disease) and AS (Aortic Stenosis) Both these conditions affect the valves making it difficult for blood to pass through. Dogs should be checked by a qualified cardiologist, who will use specialised equipment to detect such murmours and heart defects. Animals should be tested from one year of age and yearly after that.
Deafness
Normally associated with White Dogs, however coloured Dogs can be affected also. It is very difficult to notice in young puppies, so a BAER (Brainstem Auditory Evocked response) test is carried out by a specialist trained to use the machine. This is the only way to know for certain. This test can be carried out from 5 weeks of age, it is only required to be done once in a dogs lifetime and a certificate will be given stating the results.
Skin and Coat Disorders
Skin problems often appear to be allergy connected or seasonal. This can vary from small rashes and spots to mange, which if left untreated can cause complete loss of hair and eventual hard Rhino like skin patches. It is important to contact your Vet should symptoms persist, as this can be very uncomfortable for the Dog infected.
Miniature Bull Terrier KC Breed Standard
General Appearance
Strongly built, muscular, well balanced and active with a keen, determined and intelligent expression.
Characteristics
Courageous, full of spirit, with a fun loving attitude. A unique feature is a downfaced, egg-shaped head. Irrespective of size dogs should look masculine and bitches feminine.
Temperament
Of even temperament and amenable to discipline. Although obstinate is particularly good with people.
Head and Skull
Head long, strong and deep right to end of muzzle, but not coarse. Viewed from front egg-shaped and completely filled, its surface free from hollows or indentations. Top of skull almost flat from ear to ear. Profile curves gently downwards from top of skull to tip of nose which should be black and bent downwards at tip. Nostrils well developed and under-jaw deep and strong.
Eyes
Appearing narrow and triangular, obliquely placed, black or as dark brown as possible so as to appear almost black, and with a piercing glint. Distance from tip of nose to eyes perceptibly greater than that from eyes to top of skull. Blue or partly blue undesirable.
Ears
Small, thin and placed close together. Dog should be able to hold them stiffly erect, when they point straight upwards.
Mouth
Teeth sound, clean, strong, of good size, regular with perfect, regular and complete scissor bite, i.e. upper teeth closely overlapping lower teeth and set square to the jaws. Lips clean and tight.
Neck
Very muscular, long, arched, tapering from shoulders to head and free from loose skin.
Forequarters
Shoulders strong and muscular without loading. Shoulder blades wide, flat and held closely to chest wall and have a very pronounced backward slope of front edge from bottom to top, forming almost a right angle with upper arm. Elbows held straight and strong, pasterns upright. Forelegs have strongest type of round, quality bone, dog should stand solidly upon them and they should be perfectly parallel. In mature dogs length of foreleg should be approximately equal to depth of chest.
Body
Body well rounded with marked spring of rib and great depth from withers to brisket, so that latter nearer ground than belly. Back short, strong with backline behind withers level, arching or roaching slightly over broad, well muscled loins. Underline from brisket to belly forms a graceful upward curve. Chest broad when viewed from front.
Hindquarters
Hindlegs in parallel when viewed from behind. Thighs muscular and second thighs well developed. Stifle joint well bent and hock well angulated with bone to foot short and strong.
Feet
Round and compact with well arched toes.
Tail
Short, set on low and carried horizontally. Thick at root, it tapers to a fine point.
Gait/Movement
When moving appears well knit, smoothly covering ground with free, easy strides and with a typical jaunty air. When trotting, movement parallel, front and back, only converging towards centre line at faster speeds, forelegs reaching out well and hindlegs moving smoothly at hip, flexing well at stifle and hock, with great thrust.
Coat
Short, flat, even and harsh to touch with a fine gloss. Skin fitting dog tightly. A soft textured undercoat may be present in winter.
Colour
For White, pure white coat. Skin pigmentation and markings on head not to be penalised. For Coloured, colour predominates; all other things being equal, brindle preferred. Black, brindle, red, fawn and tricolour acceptable. Tick markings in white coat undesirable. Blue and liver highly undesirable.
Size
Height should not exceed 35.5 cms (14ins). There should be an impression of substance to size of dog. There is no weight limit. Dog should at all times be balanced.
Faults
Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog and on the dog’s ability to perform its traditional work.
Note
Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.
Health
Primary Lens Luxation - PLL
A Painful eye condition which is dignosed by means of a DNA test, showing if the Dog is either Clear of the disease or a carrier. All breeding animals should hold a valid DNA certificate. All breeding animals should have a DNA test certificate stating if the dog is clear or a carrier. Some however are certified as clear by parentage on their KC paperwork. It is fine to breed from a carrier, as long as the stud Dog used is clear. Clear and carrier dogs can produce both clear and carrier puppies, so therefore the whole litter must be DNA tested prior to pups going off to their new homes. A clear dog and bitch mating will only produce clear puppies, so the KC paperwork for the pups will read Clear by parentage. This particular DNA test is only required once during the Dogs life.
Kidney Disease
Kidney disease is known as the silent killer, as sadly it is very rarely noticed until the kidneys have gone into complete failure. There are two different types of Kidney failure, one is known as PKD (Polycistic Kidney Disease), a test is carried out for this via Ultrasound and only has to be done once during the Dogs life. The other is HN (Hereditary Nephritus) which is done yearly and by means of a Urine test.
Heart Disease
There are two main conditions connected to the Mini Bull Terrier. MVD (Mitral Valve Disease) and AS (Aortic Stenosis) Both these conditions affect the valves making it difficult for blood to pass through. Dogs should be checked by a qualified cardiologist, who will use specialised equipment to detect such murmours and heart defects. Animals should be tested from one year of age and yearly after that.
Deafness
Normally associated with White Dogs, however coloured Dogs can be affected also. It is very difficult to notice in young puppies, so a BAER (Brainstem Auditory Evocked response) test is carried out by a specialist trained to use the machine. This is the only way to know for certain. This test can be carried out from 5 weeks of age, it is only required to be done once in a dogs lifetime and a certificate will be given stating the results.
Patella Luxation
The Patella is more commonly known as the knee cap. This condition is where the knee cap can slip (sometimes unnoticible) out of place. Dogs should be checked for this conditon should any symptoms arise, for example limping or lameness.